Apr 11, 2011

These low fat cupcakes are moist and delicious and you won't believe how easy they are to make. All it takes is a box of yellow cake mix and a can of crushed pineapple; no eggs, no oil or butter needed!!

You can simply eat them with Cool Whip or make them blissful as I did here with my pineapple fluff cream cheese frosting!

I always laugh when I have to come up with names for recipes. I could havce simply called them Pineapple cupcakes, but I think they are so much more with this topping. You can make the cupcakes a day ahead and the topping as well which should be stored in the refrigerator. Once you top them with the frosting they should be eaten within a few hours.

Gina, Thank you so much posting this. As a little girl. I remember baking an 8 layer pineapple cake with my granny. The icing and all was the same and the layers were almost pancake thin. It was so much fun and so yummy. Although I am sure granny's version was sinful. Since she passed 12 years ago. I have been searching for something similar. Since I didn't have her recipe. This is just about exactly the same thing. My search is over. I will enjoy these in memory of granny. She would be so proud.

Gina, I've made something similar but instead of that cake mix, I used angel food cake mix (the kind where you'd only have to add water) and they're amazing!!! I will definitely try it with this cake mix too! Can't wait to see the coconut recipe!!!

I make a version of this as my "go-to" dessert for potlucks. Mine has coconut extract in the frosting (prepared pudding + extract + Cool Whip), and topped with toasted coconut. I call them Pina Colada Cupcakes. Very much along the same line, and they are ALWAYS a hit!!!

I know you get a lot of compliments on your recipes, but I just want you to know that I come here every single week to look for new ideas for dinner. When I just don't think I can handle another grilled chicken breast, you save me. I received a super cute cupcake maker for Christmas and have only been able to use it for non-healthy things, so I genuinely thank you for this recipe. Just like everything else I have made of yours, I know we're going to love it.

Have I mentioned I love this website? I have these on my list for the grocery store tomorrow. My husband loves the zucchini enchiladas and I make santa fe chicken in the crock pot at least once a week (it freeze so well). Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes!

I've made muffins where you use a box of spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin, they're very good but I'm definitely going to try these (minus the frosting cuz I don't have that much of a sweet tooth!!!).

These are so good!!! I did not make the frosting because I am freezing most of the cupcakes. They are delicious plan or with fat free cool whip. My three year old does not like pineapple and he loved these. Thanks Gina!!!!!

Oh, and these were dessert for the turkey burgers with zucchini that i got off of your site. My husband and I both agree that they were the best turkey burgers that we have ever had!!!!

I had 4 points left this evening after dinner and then I logged onto your blog... I made a trip to the grocery store & just finished my yummy cupcake. LOVE the frosting & can't believe it only adds 1 point+! I just love pineapple and have made the pumpkin version of this before (no frosting) and it's just ok for me. This... this is heavenly & will be my "go to" dessert!

Sounds awesome! Another alternative for frosting...I recently made "traditional" cream cheese frosting with 1 cup of powdered sugar and light pineapple cream cheese - it was awesome! I also then toasted some coconut and sprinkled on top - yummy!

Just wanted to echo some of the sentiments posted here...these cupcakes are delicious! Thanks for sharing. I think I found my Easter take-along. They taste so refreshing and I love that they are easy to make.

Thanks so much Gina for this amazing website! I just now learned of it through a friend. We r having a weight loss competition and this site was shared with the group. I have to tell u as soon as I read how easy it was to make this. I went shopping came home and baked them for dessert. My husband was shocked I don't bake or cook but u make it look effortless! Thank you again for all ur hard work in putting this site up for us!

LOVE this recipe. So light and fluffy. So very tasty, I have actually had to bring a plate to the neighbors, and use as snacks for our play dates! I know they're pretty low in points, but not if you eat three! Delicious, Gina. Thank you!!!!

I love baking but it is so difficult to find the time with a 5-month-old. I was home alone with her yesterday, she was fussy all day, and I had laundry to do, dinner to make, etc. These were so easy that I got them made with no problem at all! I LOVE that they took about ten minutes to mix the ingredients, pour them into the muffin tray, throw them in the oven, and wash one bowl and one spoon. Thank you for such an easy recipe! It also helped that cake mix AND pineapple were both on sale at the store yesterday :)

And WOW they are so good. One of these after that long day made all everything worth it. They are just the right amount of sweet.

By the way, I used a bit of greek yogurt instead of the marshmellow fluff in the icing and it worked well. Just a thought! Thank you again!

Swimmermama- I know exactly what you mean! You can make the topping ahead of time, even a day ahead, but I would recommend topping the cupcakes within a few hours you plan on eating them or refrigerate them.

I made the cupcakes and have attempted the frosting twice now. It's too watery to frost with. I figured the firs time was because I , admittedly, didn't drain the pineapple well. The second time, I used a sieve, and thought it was about all that I could get out of it.

Made these tonight for a Friday night treat, they are amazing! Thanks so much for simple and healthy treat ideas :) I topped half with vanilla buttercream frosting (for those not worried about their figure in the household) then served the rest with fat free whipped topping...to die for either way!

OMG! How am I expected to eat only one? These are everything I love in a dessert -- light, moist & full of flavour. And so easy! My 4yo daughter loved helping and tasting along the way. Thank you so much Gina for this and the dozens of other recipes we've tried and love!

these were delicious!!! I made them for a BBQ party this weekend and they were a HUGE hit! I am not a great baker by any standards but all of my guest raved about these little light treats and asked for the recipe! They were surprised they were so easy. Thank you so much! everything I have ever made from your site has been outstanding.

Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes are exactly what they are! These were the BOMB! I put some cool whip on top and truly enjoyed this piece of heavenly dessert. My husband enjoyed them as well. I am taking a few to work to give to my co-workers who are on Weight Watchers. Gina you can cook your tail off. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I, also had frosting that was way too watery to frost with. I drained the pineapple for over an hour over a sieve, got over a cup of juice out of the pineapple and it was still too runny. Not sure what went wrong but I think I will frost with cool whip now rather than take a chance wasting the frosting ingredients again.

Hi, I am new to your site. I am so glad I found your site. Your recipes are great yet easy to follow especially for someone like me who is learning how to cook.

I am making these cupcakes today. I bought the Betty Croker super moist white cake instead. The instructions on the box said that I have to mix it with vegetable oil and eggs. Do I need to do that for this recipe?

I just made these cupcakes for a Hawaiian themed Easter party on Sunday. DELICIOUS!!! I just love them. I am doing Weight Watchers and a friend told me about this site so I thought I would try something for the party from here. So glad I did. These cupcakes taste great. They are light, sweet, and very tasty. My husband likes them too. I didn't tell him they were skinny cupcakes!

I noticed some posted of watery frosting. I just put my in the fridge so I don't know what will happen yet. However, I would think you could leave the pinapple out of the frosting as there is plenty of pineapple flavor in the cupcakes. I can't stand cool whip so I wouldn't try that. I like the cream cheese flavor on these. If mine turn out watery too I might try leaving the pineapple out of the frosting.

I made these for a pre-easter lunch. Even though i slightly undercooked the cupcakes, they were still a hit with everyone! I too had a problem with the frosting being a bit watery, and that was after it sat in the fridge overnight. They were delish though and will definitely make it into my recipe book!

Hi GinaFantastic recipe they were delicious and turned out great. One suggestion though, I find if you spray your muffin pan with pam instead of using muffin cups the cupcakes come out really nice and there is no crumbling when you peel off the paper cup.

Anyway thanks for the great recipe my topping was a little watery but I did accidently dump all the pineapple in without draining it and attempted to drain it after but I was able to save it and was able to still frost it adequately.

Happy Easter Gina! Made these yesterday and they were delicious! I only had a 16 oz can of crushed pineapple for the icing, so I added some fresh chopped strawberries and it was YUMMY! And it turned the icing a light pink, so cute for easter. Thanks for all of these declicious recipes! :)

These were fantastic Gina! I brought them to work today, and can't wait to tell them the cupcakes are skinny! I had no issues with the frosting being runny, i squeezed dry. I'm wondering if people who substituted marshmallow creme for fluff had the runny frosting? The fluff has a thicker consistency than the creme. Just a thought. Thanks again, you never disappoint!

YUM!! I used the batter in a bundt cake instead of cupcakes (because I didn't want to have to make frosting and frost a bunch of cupcakes and time was of the essence... yadda yadda yadda...) and it turned out delicious but very crumbly.

You were right to make cupcakes out of this batter since it doesn't have any binding agents--the smaller the cake the better. Anyhow, the concept was brilliant and one day when I'm not so rushed I WILL make this as cupcakes like you intended!

Gina, I think the addition of egg whites would do the trick for those desiring the bundt shape. I'm with you on the "portion control" aspect of the cupcakes--in the case of the bundt cake I was just being lazy because I didn't have the time to frost 24 cupcakes. ; )

This is so good! I put the batter in a 13 x 9 pan and frosted the whole thing and cut into 24 pieces. Worked great! The frosting could have been a bit sweeter, so maybe I will try some splenda? I will definitely make this again!

I made these for a belated mothers day brunch w/my family and they were a hit! I put the pineapple in a strainer and then pressed it with a spoon, then I wrapped it in a few coffee filters and ringed them out, it worked great and the frosting was awesome. Cant wait to make them again, and I passed along this site to my fam! Thanks again for another great recipe!

I have been doing WW for three weeks now and I have found your site to be the most helpful thing I have found. Even my fiancée thanks you for making tasty dishes that are better for us! I just finished making these and I have two other dishes in the oven at the moment. Anyone I know on a diet or even not I recommend your site.

Stumble upon this site from a friend's link on Facebook and seriously I think I will be in her gratitude forever. I made these cupcakes last night and I am in love. I didn't make the icing since I don't like fluff so I served them up with Cool Whip. YUM!

I'm super late with my comment, as I made these DELICIOUS cupcakes for Easter, but I just wanted to let you know how awesome they were. I let my pineapple drain for a while and then squeezed them with paper towels and I had no problem with my icing. The cupcakes got rave reviews from my whole family...in fact, my grandma wanted to take a dessert to go, and my uncle told her if she was just going to try one dessert, that the cupcakes were the way to go!

Gina! These are my obsession! I am serious addicted to them :) I am so pumped you came up with this recipe. I make them for a ton of get togethers now. Everyone loves them! At first they think its weird that its pinneapple but then they try them and I never bring any home with me...sadlY! I only wish they were lower points so I could eat like five at a time :) haha

Thanks Gina! I made these for a potluck at my husbands office. They wanted "healthy" items & I have wanted an excuse to make these. They were a BIG HIT! There were a few grumbles about cupcakes at a healthy potluck, but it was explained what they were, and I printed off a copy of the recipe for those that wanted it. I even made a 2nd batch with the gluten free mix from Betty Crocker for my husband, it also turned out good.

Ok yep, it's me again--I made a version of these this weekend, and had to share. 1 box carrot cake mix, 20 oz can of manderine oranges DRAINED. I smashed the oranges with my potatoe masher, added the cake mix and a tiny splash of orange juice. They were YUMMMM! Trying to decided between these and your pineapple bliss for our work cookout Wed.

I made these today--except I used fresh pineapple and about 3 decent sized splashes of organic pear juice--and they were amazing! I was a little skeptical, since there are only two ingredients, but wow. They are surprisingly moist (like stick to your fingers moist), and oh-so-yummy. Next time I'll be sure to make the topping to go on them!

OMG I love these cupcakes. I made them for my daughters birthday for the 1st time. They were a home run... Now my boyfriend is asking me to make more cause we are both watching what we eat and they are perfectly sweet with out the frosting and hit that sweet tooth nerve just perfectly at the end of the night. Thank you!!!!!!!!

These are sooo good!! I have not made the recipe in cupcake form, but have made it 3 times now as a cake, and WOW, everyone goes nuts for it!! I did modify the icing, and used lite whip cream, sugar free pudding mix, a cup of milk and a small pineapple; I believe it kept the calories around the same! So far this and the banana cream pie have been huge hits, and I have picky eaters! THANKS!!

I just made up a batch of these and they turned out DELICIOUS!! I did have the same problem some others mentioned with the frosting being runny. I think part of it was that I didn't drain the pineapple well enough. I also used fat free cream cheese - could this affect the texture/

WOW! I made these for my mother's birthday dinner (we are both on Weight Watchers), and they were a HUGE success! Everyone loved them! They were so moist too! My 15 yr old niece went crazy over them too (as I had to give her some to take home). The only problem I found was that Betty Crocker cake mix (at least in my store) was only 15 oz, not 18.25, so I got Duncan Hines cake mix instead! This is definitely a keeper!

Just made these - delicious and refreshing! For the frosting, I drained the pineapple so well that once I mixed it, I needed to add juice back in. The cream cheese flavor was too strong. Got it right by adding juice back in. Not sure why the cupcakes stuck to the wrappers though (slightly, but enough to make it messy!). Any ideas?

YUUUUMMMMM!!!!!! These are so good!I just made them Saturday (today's monday) and we only have 1 left! (i only made 12 but still!) These are absolutely fantastic and I will definitly be making them again! I made one small change and saved about 1/4 of the can of pineapple and mixed it with a can of cream cheese icing and it was absolutely FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!! yum yum yum!!!

Also, I just posted this to pinterest and it already has a TON of hits!

Oh my gosh! I found this recipe to make for our Bible study group coming over tomorrow night, and I haven't even made the frosting yet, but my husband and I already ate a few, so I might have to make more tomorrow to make sure there's enough.

I saw someone post that it didn't work well in a cake form. I was hoping to use this recipe for my son's birthday cake next week, and I am not doing cupcakes but a regular cake. Any way to make it work for that? I love the pineapple flavor!

I made these last night and they were a BIG hit! They all said they taste like pineapple upside down cake which by the way is their favorite desert. The frosting was a bit runny for me also but none of cared. It was still awesome! I will try the paper towel trick to get the moisture out next time or even try a tiny bit of brown sugar sprinkled on top and add drained cherries to the frosting to make it more like upside down cake. Even my guy (who hates diet meals) ran to his computer and pulled up this site to see what else he would like. I have made a few meals already and he loved them. Thanks so much!!!

I loved these! Very moist and pineapple-ly. I made half a batch, weighing out the cake mix and the pineapple, and used the rest of the pineapple in the frosting. This reminds me of my husband's favorite birthday cake, so I may try to tweak the recipe when his birthday rolls around. Thanks for another winner!

I didn't have time to make the cupcakes, so converted it to a 9 x 13 dish. I made sure the serving sizes were cut so that there were 24 pieces (like I would have 24 cupcakes). I took it to church and even those not watching their weight really enjoyed it.

I was really looking forward to these since I am really watching what I eat and needed something sweet. The reviews convinced me.. I was disappointed. They have a very weird, doughy texture and honestly don't think they were worth the calories. :(

Amazing! I didn't make the frosting, but the cupcakes themselves taste just like pineapple upside down cake to me. Definitely can't tell they are low fat/cal. Boyfriend loved them too (score)! I used a little whipped cream on top or just ate them plain. I did have to bake a lot longer than directed to get them done. Thanks for the recipe!

These are fantastic! I'm making them for a beach party themed bash. The cake itself is pretty dense, but still delish! Try using Cool Whip, a package of vanilla pudding, and the crushed pineapple for the topping. Thanks, Gina

Made these as a lighter dessert for Easter...DELICIOUS! Went with confectioners' sugar and Cool Whip as toppings, both worked great...so moist. Just finished off two more. Thanks for a tasty, EASY recipe.

These pineapple bliss cupcakes were absolutely delicious! My husband must have eaten 5 of them as soon as the frosting went on. I only used 8 oz. drained crushed pineapple in the frosting and I thought it was perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Gina. It was fabulous!!! This was the first recipe from your website that I tried. If this recipe is any indication as to how tasty your dishes are, I know I won't be disappointed!

These are AMAZING! After making your pumpkin muffins for a bake sale in fall and getting great reviews, I decided to try these for a bake sale this weekend. I made them without the frosting last night and tried one this morning. They are better that the last full fat "regular" cupcake I had!

I just made these tonight and I love them. I added a pinch of coconut to the top and it's a great extra.I am so happy I found this website! I love your recipes! I am not on WW but try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and your recipes are better than a lot from Cooking Light.

These are amazing! My husband, who is not usually a fan of any dessert that does not include chocolate, raved about them and asked how soon I could make another batch! I skipped the frosting, and topped them with some lite whipped topping (which I flavored with a couple drops of coconut extract) and maraschino cherries. The only problem is figuring out how limit myself to just one serving!!

Hey Gina, I'm looking forward to trying these! I'm trying to avoid processed foods though; do you have a recipe for homemade yellow cake mix that could be used in place of the Betty Crocker mix? Thanks!

Usually all your recipes work like a charm, but this was wasn't as edible. Like, everyone here had a piece and didn't really complain, but half the batch was thrown away 4 days later because nobody would eat any of it. :( The only canned pineapple I could find (I'm in Brazil, so canned things are... hard to find, and I was afraid fresh pineapple wouldn't have enough juice in it to work in this recipe) was sliced. I used a processor to "crush" it, and then followed the rest of the instructions. While the flavor was "okay", the texture of the cake was really weird... gooey! I'm not sure what really went so wrong, but this was a little disappointing. I'm still forever thankful for all the other recipes though (like the BLT pasta salad, which is all my families favorite thing now, we make it at least once a week for over 3 months now).

Do you think this recipe would work as a cake too? Or just cupcakes? My father loves pineapples and his birthday is the weekend. I thought I could make his birthday cake from the recipe but I wasn't sure if the consistency would hold up?

These are so good. I made and iced them yesterday to serve at a gathering today--they were a huge hit. So rich and moist. The icing turned out great--after reading the posts about it not setting i made sure to get all the moisture out I could and it worked! These might be my fav cupcakes ever!

Has anyone successfully turned this recipe into a cake? I was hoping to use this to make smash cake for a first birthday. The baby is not watching his weight but I liked the idea of a slightly healthier cake.

My 8 year old and I just made up a batch of these for the 1st time. They are delicious! He likes them without icing and I love them iced...so rich:) The only problem being...I could eat way too many at a time! Thanks for sharing!

I made these for a summertime dessert last night...they were a hit! Instead of the frosting recipe provided, I used 1 tub of fat free Cool Whip, I can of very well drained crushed pineapple, a half teaspoon of coconut extract, and one small box of sugar-free vanilla instant pudding. Topped them with toasted coconut! Amazing!

I have grown up making something similar to this, except we put mandarin oranges in the cake mix and we make the frosting out of cool whip, crushed pineapple, and ff sf vanilla pudding mix. We call it Pig Cake because you make a pig of yourself eating it. Oh and I use apple sauce instead of oil in the cake mix, and 2 eggs. Not sure of the points. I didn't make it much while I did WW...

First off...thank you Gina for coming into our lives! You inspire me to continue to cook creatively. Having lost 50 lbs on WW, I am now able to treat myself to some deserts, and boy did I love these cupcakes. I too had problems with the frosting being watery. It may have been that I used Kraft

Oops...wasn't finished. Anyway, can't remember if the Kraft product was Fluff or not, so that may have been the problem. Funny thing though... Noticed that the can of pineapple was "chunk" instead of crushed. Thought I was out of the woods with draining the liquid, as crushed pineapple can tend to hold on to more moisture that one thinks. After totally drying the chunks, I put all ingredients into the quisinart and whirled away. Tasty, but watery :(

I've made this before with pineapple for my husband, but since I don't like pineapple, I decided to use canned peaches for my daughter's birthday party. I even weighed it so I could have 20oz (canned peaches come in 15oz cans) and pulsed them a few times with the food processor to crush them. I don't know what happened but they came out funky. I used a white cake mix and the texture was off and they had a weird aftertaste. Peaches aren't as strong a flavor, but the cake barely had any peach flavor. I ended up getting another cake mix and made with the regular directions since I didn't have time to experiment more. I was bummed :(

I make these and they are great. My topping is 1 small package fat free, sugar free instant pudding; 1 small container fat free cool whip and one large can of crushed pineapple w/juice. Mix all three ingredients together. Put on top of cupcake and top with fresh berries - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. Delicious and low in WW points!

These are going to be my go to cupcake for any event. They are awesome and nice with no egg or oil. I made a coconut butter-cream frosting. 1 stick of butter, 2-1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 1-2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/3 cup Cream de coconut (I found it in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. Beat the butter until smooth, add about half the sugar, then add the extract, vanilla and salt, beat until smooth and incorporated then add remaining sugar. It was a nice contrast to the cupcake. If you wanted more coconut you could add some flakes (sweetened might be too sweet but it could be tried.

I'm making them now to bring to a graduation party. I was thinking of adding walnuts pieces to part of the frosting. So I can do some with & without nuts. I May experient with one first add to one cupcake to try =)

Question, I have had your pina colada cupcakes, and love them, but I absolutely love cherry pineapple dump cake. Do you think you could make cupcakes like that? Would you still use a whole can of the crushed pineapple? Or would you use half a can of crushed pineapple and half a can of cherry pie filling? I'm trying to figure out how I could make that work. :)